For the Love of Curls welcomes natural hair enthusiast and entrepreneur, Elisa M. Harry
owner of the natural products company Curly Queen.

How long have you been natural?

Let’s
see…it was the Spring of ’07 when I cut that big chopped, so almost seven
years. Wow!

What made you decide to go natural?

I had tried to embrace my curls for a year and a half, but I couldn't handle
the shrinkage. So I found this hair
stylist on the internet that said she specialized in “healthy relaxers”. I took my financial aid check and paid $275
in Beverly Hills and relapsed back to the creamy crack after being natural for
about 5 years (I had been down this road before).

My
hair was super cute for about three months with plenty of hang time (whoop
whoop!)… until it started to break off… again.

I
had seen a sorority sister of mine with her hair natural and I literally could
NOT stop staring at her. It was sooooo
beautiful to me. After seeing her, I had
been toying around with the idea and simply wearing my hair drenched in
conditioner and moose to embrace my curls for about a week or two. Then the incident happened….Lol.

I
broke up with the guy I was dating and totally had a ‘Waiting to Exhale’
moment. I was so upset over the breakup
that I decided to chop everything off. I
came home from step practice and saw that I only had a few little strands that
were giving my hair “length”. I thought
to myself, “WHAT IS THE POINT??” I was lying to myself to keep those little
strands of straight hair just so that I wouldn’t look like a “chicken
head”. I was so upset and I couldn’t
find a pair of scissors to save my life—so I used finger nail clippers! I chopped it off, and never looked back….

Did
you big chop or transition?

My
last touch up with the “healthy relaxer” was in January of ’06, and I had my
little bathroom incident with the fingernail clippers a little over a year
later. So I guess you could call it a
transition…and then a big chop!

Spring
’07 The BIG CHOP! Me literally in the
bathroom

What
was your families’ / friend’s reaction to you going natural?

My
friends took to it much better than my family.
In college I totally embraced the “Pro-Blackness,” but my family is West
Indian and they were not havin’ that!
Lol. I hid my curls from them for
about 2 years, and even then wore it straight most of the time they would see
me. I got a few crazy looks from my dad,
sister, and my mother was like, “When are you gonna blow dry your hair???”

See,
my family is Dominican. In Cali people really don’t
know about it, but on the east coast the Dominican blowout is EVERYTHIG.
Everyone says, “Oh you want your hair done, go to the Dominicans.”

December
18, 2010. My first two-strand
twists…ever!

And here are my sister’s comments

What
have you discovered about yourself and your hair since you’ve gone natural?
Anything surprise you?

First
of all, what girl doesn’t grow up with something that they are self conscious
about or some sort of body issue? With
natural hair, I learned that you just have to ROCK IT. When I would go out in public at first,
sometimes I would feel self conscious, or not wear my natural hair to certain
events because I thought it might not be “appropriate”. But how can being myself and wearing my hair
in its natural state not be appropriate???

I
learned that you’ve gotta rock that hair like it was your crown and let
everyone know you are the queen (with
two snaps). Walk around like you are
Beyoncé and kinks and curls are the new water. Honey, if you don’t know you
better ask someone!

As
far as my hair is concerned, I learned that it WILL GROW. GROWING YOUR HAIR DOWN YOUR BACK IS
POSSIBLE. Take care of your hair like
you would your Mercedes.

2007 Shortly after my BIG CHOP. Lesson I learned: When it dries, shrinkage
WILL HAPPEN

2009 in DC at the Inauguration. The first time my mom saw my hair “natural”

Fresh out the shower just before my most recent
cut

Feb 2013 CurlyQueen visits Bronner Bros in ATL

What
would you say to someone that is considering going natural?

DO
IT!!! (says the seasoned curly). No, it’s not
going to e easy. Yes, you will go
through a lot of product. Yes, there
will be lots of trial and error. Yes,
there will be days when your hair looks a little kray-kray, but hey, no one
will mess with you in line at the grocery store, right?

Most
importantly, what works for someone else, may not work for you. Like up with some other naturals for support
and tips. Oh yea, and YouTube is your
new BFF!

2013, Shrinkage is still #thestruggle

What
are your hair goals for the next 6 months to year?

I
really want to go BLONDE! Let’s see if they have more fun…

Please
tell us about your product line and how you developed it?

My
father is a chef so there have always been all kinds of kitchen gadgets around
my house growing up. I studied Biology
and BioChem in college. I decided to put
that degree to use to help my love for my hair and CurlyQueen was
developed. I got sick of paying what
seemed like a car note on products that were not even all natural. I said to myself, I can probably do this… and
I did.

The
good thing about CurlyQueen is that it can be used on conjunction with other
products, as mixing brands is almost a religion naturals live by.

2010 O-Chem Lab.
This is not a game!

Who / What is CurlyQueen?

CurlyQueen was started in 2012 right here in Los Angeles. Not only is it all natural hair products for the natural girl, but it’s also tutorials, hair accessories, T-shirts, and tips on over-all healthy living to be the best natural you. Healthy hair starts with a healthy lifestyle.

Anyone!!! It’s all natural, so unless you are allergic to one of our ingredients, then you can use it. This is exactly why all of the hair products are also safe for your body. Though you may not have “curly” hair, the products offer a great variety of benefits for keep your body moisturized and skin feeling soft. Though we pride ourselves on giving tips to the girl who is ready to care for her natural hair, most of the tips for healthy hair and living can be applied to anyone.

I
love your “99 problems but a perm ain’t one” t-shirt. What was behind that
concept?

My
friends and I would always make fun about having 99 Problems and ____ wasn’t
one. For me, a perm was it. That’s something I don’t need to worry about
ever again.

What
are your current goals for your business?

I
have seen the promised land…. and it is a spot on the shelves in Tar-gét!